This was the deepest fire ant colony that I had cast at the time, at 18" in total depth. Because the casts tend to have a stronger chamber structure at the top and are more fragile at the bottom, it is mounted upside down from its natural orientation. The structure is pretty typical of the larger fire ant colonies, with many interconnected tunnels near the surface and more wide chambers deeper in the colony. This cast has some interesting architectural features. On the right side there is an almost detached section that really stands out. At the deepest part of the colony there is a single distinct tunnel leading to a chamber which looks really cool. You can see me uncover that chamber in the video. Not much of the surface mound was captured in the cast, so most of what you see is the subsurface portion of the colony.

Base Description

The cast is displayed upside down from its natural orientation and sits on three round wood risers attached to an oval wood base. The base is basswood and stained with Watco Danish Oil Dark Walnut with no clear coat, giving it a nice natural look. There are three 1-1/4" round wood risers which support the cast in its proper orientation. There is no mounting between the cast and the base so the cast can be taken on and off the base for viewing. The bottom of the base has four felt pads to protect the surface it is displayed on. A stainless steel plaque is mounted on the base engraved with the cast information.